


A Tutor for Teddy

by lore



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Canon, Children, M/M, Post - Deathly Hallows, Potions, Snupin Santa Fest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-11
Updated: 2012-08-11
Packaged: 2017-11-11 22:03:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/483354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lore/pseuds/lore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus hires Teddy a tutor, but it's Remus who ends up learning a thing or two.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Tutor for Teddy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Omni_sama](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Omni_sama).



"I won't work three days before your change or the day after, and I won't have you hanging about while we're working, either. If you can agree to that and meet my price, I'll tutor the boy."

"Yes, yes, of course, Mr Gray," Remus said with some distraction. Gray's price was fair, but steep for a widower living on the Ministry pension his Auror wife left behind.

"Good. I'll be here at one on Monday." Without further conversation, Jonathan Gray went out the remote cottage's front door and down the long path to where the protective wards ended. As he watched Gray's broad, solid back retreat, Remus realised that he would eventually have to add Teddy's new tutor to the spells if the man worked out.

Teddy was only six-years-old, but he had already become more than a handful for Remus. Bright, curious and full of energy, just like his mother, Teddy had mastered molding himself into just about any human he met in every way except size. The boy didn't have the mass or enough command of his magic to stretch himself into a full-grown human, but it didn't stop Teddy from trying whenever he was introduced to someone new. Remus couldn't seem to impress upon Teddy how important it was to keep his metamorph abilities a secret from Muggles; the boy raced along without much thought for caution - another trait he picked up from his mother.

Between Andromeda's ire when her petition for guardianship of Teddy failed and Remus' now widely known status as a werewolf and miraculous survivor of the war, Remus had every excuse to move them as far away from other humans as possible. He bought a retired wizard's cottage that was further into Northumberland than Tyne and Wear; the old man had woven magic into the land to repel all notice, which blended with Remus' layers of protection learned over years of desperation and war to make the cottage stand nearly impenetrable. Teddy still visited with Harry, the growing horde of Weasley offspring, and, begrudgingly on Remus' part, his grandmother, but Remus couldn't take Teddy into the Muggle world without facing multiple fines for breaking the Code of Wizarding Secrecy.

If Teddy had left Remus any energy at the end of the day, Remus might have run mad. Instead, after listening to Remus' complaints during a visit for tea, Minerva had pointed out that Teddy would be in primary school that fall if he were a Muggle.

"I'm not sure he'd listen to me if I tried to teach him."

"Heavens, no," Minerva had said, directing the teapot to fill her cup. "I'd school the boy myself if we weren't taking on the final repairs to the castle this summer."

Remus had merely nodded. The castle had assisted in its own rebuilding, and the Hogwarts environs looked quite different now, as if the ancient structure itself had wanted a new beginning along with the rest of the Wizarding world.

Minvera had given him a shrewd look over a sip of tea. "I know just the man for the job. He's an experienced educator and can tutor Teddy on a number of subjects, both Muggle and magical. I'll have him contact you," she'd said firmly before changing the subject to a lighter topic.

At least Remus didn't have to worry about Gray's credentials. Instead, he spent the weekend trying to reason with Teddy.

"You're keeping me inside all summer?!"

"It'll only be four hours every other afternoon. Mrs Weasley is already teaching Victoire how to read and write," Remus pleaded with an increasingly red-faced Teddy. "You don't want her ahead of you, do you?"

This gave Teddy pause. A year younger than Teddy, Victoire often appeared competitive with him, wanting to run faster, climb farther or command more adult attention. Fleur said it was normal behaviour for a Delacour, and Remus told Teddy that he had to watch out for Victoire, make sure she didn't get hurt while they played. Remus had never seen the boy take anything so seriously as his promise to keep Victoire safe, even if he still tried to best her at every opportunity.

"No. She'll make fun of me," Teddy eventually admitted.

Remus picked Teddy up and sat him on his lap, holding the petulant boy against his chest. "Not if you study hard with Mr Gray. I promise, we'll still play together and you'll have time to chase your butterflies and get utterly soaked in the brook." He tapped Teddy's bowed head with his finger. "All right?"

Teddy tipped his head back and looked up at his father. "Can I play in your garden?"

"No." Remus bent and gave Teddy's forehead a series of loud, smacking kisses, then ruffled his hair. "But nice try."

Hair shifting from its natural mouse-brown to a shade of blue Remus knew meant contentment, Teddy shrugged and slid off Remus' lap, not missing a beat as he landed on his behind and popped upright again. "When I'm older?"

The question had become ritual. Remus tended a large, hidden, charmed-to-the-hilt garden year-round, growing several rare and sometimes dangerous plants as well as veg to supplement their groceries. The exercise working in the garden benefited Remus' health, and the fruits of his labour helped bring in galleons for expenses that landed outside the Ministry pension. There were wards in place that only allowed Remus passage, both for Teddy's safety as well as further protection against being discovered, but he still impressed upon his boy that the garden was strictly off-limits, and he wasn't to ever try to get inside.

"Yes, when you're older." The familiar answer, given with exaggerated weariness, made Teddy break into a gap-toothed grin.

* * *

"What do you wish to know?"

"Huh?"

"Ask me a question, and I will answer it."

Remus had insisted on observing the first lesson just to make sure that Teddy behaved, and he sat in the rocking chair in Teddy's bedroom just off the wide-open kitchen and living room, watching with a one-way surveillance spell as Teddy considered his options.

Gray was a tall man with the aforementioned broad shoulders and trim waist. He kept his fine brown hair short and wore tan slacks with a simple white button-down shirt. Remus thought Gray's looks were rather handsome as a whole, but he wouldn't describe any one feature as distinctive.

He had expected Gray to start with a straightforward session of reading or writing, and Remus wasn't sure that offering Teddy the opportunity to direct his own lessons was a good idea.

"Where do butterflies go in winter?"

"Let us find out." Gray pulled an enchanted encyclopedia from his stack of books and tapped the first page, asking for butterflies. Gray scanned through several pages before he tapped the book again and said, "There. See for yourself."

"I- I can't read."

"But you know your alphabet, correct?" Teddy nodded. "Then watch."

Gray nudged the book with his wand and a short paragraph lifted off the page and expanded, hovering in mid-air before Teddy. Remus realised the encyclopedia had given information in language a 6-year-old could read and understand.

"What is that letter," Gray asked, pointing to the first letter in the floating sentence.

"An 'M'."

"What sound does it make?"

"Why don't you just read it to me?"

" _I_ do not care where butterflies go in the winter, _you_ do."

Teddy seemed to ponder this before making an "mmm" sound for Mr Gray.

"And the second letter?"

Remus watched as Gray had Teddy piece together the word "most", and the recognition in Teddy's eyes was almost instantaneous. It took them the better part of the afternoon to work out the simple sentence, "Most butterflies are larvae _(What's larvae?)_ or caterpillar _(Butterflies are caterpillars, too?)_ in winter." Gray didn't coddle Teddy with simpler sentences like "See spot run", but he did answer all of Teddy's questions. The boy appeared thoroughly immersed in the lesson as Gray patiently explained why some letters weren't always pronounced just as they sounded.

In time, Remus left for the garden, making enough noise so that Gray would know he wasn't being actively monitored any longer. He made sure to return just as the tutoring ended for the day, and Teddy ran for Remus' arms, wanting to tell his father all about butterflies and reading and when was Mr Gray going to be back?

Gray spoke for himself. "I shall return on Wednesday. Until then-" He lifted his hand in goodbye, and left without waiting for further comment.

"I like him," Teddy said, still staring at the door. "He calls me Ted and smells like pie."

Remus was struggling past an odd sense of déjà vu in the wake of Gray's abrupt departure, the billowing of black robes flickering through his mind's eye.

* * *

Severus Snape was never missed by Remus more than in the days before the full moon. The Ministry standard ration of Wolfsbane helped him keep his mind, but it did little to ease the pain and stress of the transformation. After the first year on Severus' Wolfsbane, Remus could tell that the Potions master had been refining the formula because his transformations became increasingly easier, until the fifth year when Remus had resorted to using all the older extra doses Severus had sent over time. Severus' tenuous position as the Order's spy had been the unspoken need for such precautions, and when it had appeared that Severus had betrayed them, at least Remus had known he could trust the older doses.

After Severus had been exonerated by Harry and the Ministry, it hadn't taken Remus very long to figure out that Severus had been supplying him with a stockpile of Wolfsbane on purpose. Still, Remus had run out of Severus' vials the year after the war, and the Ministry Wolfsbane provided little comfort beyond control over his werewolf body. When Remus offered a curious Teddy watered-down stories about the war years, Severus' deeds were recounted as often as Harry's.

As the sole survivor of his immediate generation, Remus tried not to dwell on regrets or missed opportunities. He'd never had much time with a toddler on his hands and a living to eke out. Yet, on nights before the full moon, when he couldn't sleep even after an exhausting day tending the garden and Teddy, Remus found his thoughts touching on Sirius, James, Lily and Tonks before settling in to daydreams of Severus. The _What If_ s were endless, but the imaginings still kept him entertained during his bouts with lunar insomnia.

* * *

True to his word, Mr Gray did not appear for lessons three days before Remus' transformation. After that first moon, though, he did occasionally agree to a cup of tea before taking his leave through the adjusted house protections.

Teddy had hung back the first time this happened instead of running straight for the door, as he had when his lessons had ended with Mr Gray's immediate departure. Mr Gray had stepped into the loo before Teddy finally spoke.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Remus, preparing tea the Muggle way, had looked over from the pot he was boiling on the stove. "No," he had said with some hesitation in his voice. "Why would you think that?"

"He always pops right out when we're done." Teddy had cast a nervous glance in the direction of the loo. "Maths are hard."

Remus was well versed enough in translating his son to know that he must have had a difficult math lesson that day. He had dropped to his knees, though it cost him some considerable pain and popping, so he could face Teddy on his level. "As long as you've giving Mr Gray your best-" Teddy had nodded vigorously. "Then that's all I can ask of you."

Teddy had put his hands on Remus' shoulders. "Then will you ask Mr Gray if he's mad at me?"

"I tend to agree with your father, Ted. Honest effort is all I require from you." Mr Gray had been leaning against the door-frame to the kitchen when he'd finally spoke. Teddy had run to hide behind Remus, who began to worry about the uncharacteristic lack of confidence Teddy displayed. "I could hardly expect you to grasp the concepts of subtraction on the first day."

Teddy had peeked around Remus' hip. "What if I want to try it again on Friday instead of the animals?"

"Then I shall allow it, as maths are far more important at this juncture." A small smile had played around Mr Gray's lips without fully forming, but it had made Teddy grin in return anyway.

* * *

After that first day, Teddy understood that he was free to run and play while the two older men took their tea. They spoke of Teddy's progress and peculiarities in the beginning, Mr Gray ("No, Jonathan will do") and Remus, the boy being their most immediate common ground.

"I notice you don't water down your vocabulary."

"There is no point in speaking down to the child, although he is reluctant to ask when it's clear he doesn't understand me."

Remus sat forward. "I can't figure out where all this new shyness comes from."

Jonathan tapped the rim of his teacup with one thick finger, and Remus had an idle flash of a more elegant digit in motion. "Perhaps the boy is becoming aware that he is not the master of his domain."

"I know I may not be the most firm-"

"Wait." The teacher held up his hand to stop Remus' protests. "I know Ted respects you, as he does me. He brings up the Weasley girl quite often, asking me if she's learning the same information that he is. I believe he is beginning to understand how outside forces can affect not only his needs, but his desires. In other words, his world is now encompassing more than play, food and sleep."

Remus nodded thoughtfully, considering Jonathan's theory and finding it sound. Maybe someday soon, Remus would be able make Teddy understand about transforming his image in front of Muggles, which would open their world up even further. "And I thank you for that, Mr- Jonathan. More tea?"

* * *

"You really believed the Ministry would pass sweeping magical creature rights legislation the first month after the war?" Remus asked incredulously.

"That was the time to push through such laws, when half the seats were empty and Shacklebolt riding high on his war hero status."

Tea had become a permanent part of Mr Gray's schedule. Teddy would be released from his lessons, run straight out the door as if there was only air outside, and Jonathan would take the opportunity to visit the loo while Remus prepared a teapot the Muggle way. Remus had discovered through trial and error that Jonathan preferred ginger biscuits with a strong black tea blend, and little else about the man. Jonathan steered conversation away from himself as if he had a wheel built into Remus' brain, however, the tutor was not shy about making his political opinions known.

"Don't you think Kingsley had enough of a time finding and firing Voldemort's network of spies? He had to fill all those empty positions, too. The Ministry was at a standstill for months."

"All the more reason he shouldn't have squandered his relative freedom in making decisions! Potter let his fame fall on fallow ground as well. When I think about what that boy could have done for our society-" Jonathan scowled into his teacup and Remus was struck, thinking the expression couldn't appear more out of place than on Jonathan's thick brow.

"Next, I suppose you'll say Severus Snape should have risen from the grave to do his part," Remus quipped.

Going white never turned up more quickly than on a tanned face like Jonathan's. The man had been staring at Remus, eyes narrowed as if he were trying to see something that wasn't there, for several long seconds before Teddy burst in the back door. "Da, I'm hungry!"

A sense of déjà vu had made Remus feel light-headed, and he had to tear his eyes away from Jonathan's before he could speak again. "Stay for dinner?" he asked, voice pitched low as the sounds of Teddy rummaging in the larder reached them.

"No, I- No." Jonathan stood and smoothed his hands over imaginary wrinkles in his always crisp cotton button-down. "Perhaps another time," he said weakly before Apparating without a sound.

As if evoking his name had opened up floodgates of memory, Remus recalled that Severus was the only other person he'd known who could Apparate silently. Remus decided that Jonathan Gray might be deserving of more consideration. In his own way, Remus had loved Tonks and he'd avoided romantic entanglements while Teddy was younger, but Remus knew he'd be looking for a man once his libido decided to wake up. He'd spent too many years hiding erections from Sirius and James, and later exploring said erections with Kingsley and Bill, to not look for a male lover this time around. Jonathan was conventionally handsome, intelligent, apparently unafraid of Remus' curse as long as he kept a distance -- Remus couldn't understand exactly _why_ he felt like he was on a precipice, unable to fall one way or the other.

"Did Mr Gray go?" Teddy asked around a mouthful of apple, his nose growing longer, almost unconsciously. It was then that Remus realised his son had never mimicked his tutor's image.

* * *

It was almost time for tea with Jonathan, and Remus had meant to dash quickly to the pump outside the kitchen door to rinse off before using his wand to secure the garden for the night. His hands were covered in sticky Iverson juice, a benign berry plant unless ingested but dead useful in scouring potions. Clean, Remus was on his way back to the garden gate when he noticed a flicker of quick movements through the window of their downstairs water closet. Teddy's notoriously tetchy stomach from ages three to four had caused Remus to install a one-way surveillance charm on the windows to help him keep an eye out for when the lad was sick. Remus absently passed his hand over the panes, activating the spell.

What he found was Jonathan Gray with his back against the wall with the picture of geraniums that Ginny had painted for them, a hand down his opened trousers. Remus could only stare as he watched the other man fisting himself, the bulge of his knuckles against the white cotton of his pants moving up and down slowly. Jonathan had his lower lip between his teeth, biting for all he was worth, probably so he wouldn't make a sound. Soon, the limitations of his pants must have been what caused Jonathan to pull himself free of the cloth, and now Remus could see that Jonathan had a thick, blunt length, which wasn't necessarily Remus' preference but it would do in a-

Teddy came around the corner of the house and shouted in surprise to see his father. Remus barely had time to cancel the spell before his son had barreled into him, hugging Remus' leg. "You're late!. Mr Gray's already in the loo."

Remus was looking between Teddy and the frosted window, his heart racing. "I know. I mean, I know I'm late!" Reaching down, he tousled Teddy's hair until the boy released him, laughing. "You better go play now, son," he said absently. Teddy didn't wait for further encouragement and went running off in the direction of the brook.

As he watched Teddy go, a niggling thought began to work its way into Remus' mind, and he angrily waved his hand over the window again to see if Jonathan had finished. Remus was mentally preparing dark hexes for castration when he saw that Jonathan had not finished, but had positioned himself over the loo, his fist flying as he worked himself from root to head, giving himself an extra twist of the tip with each pass. The thought of breaking the window and strangling the man he had trusted his child with shattered as Jonathan came, moaning a single two-syllable word that Remus could clearly read on Jonathan's lips as he spent himself, his face etched in pleasured agony.

 _Re-mus_. Not "Ted-dy" or even "Ted, Ted," but "Remus"; there could be no other interpretation. Remus slid down the outside wall, his stomach clenching from the rapid roil of emotions he'd just experienced. Jonathan wanted him. Intelligent, challenging, solid Jonathan -- and looking down at his own tanned hands, Remus understood that perhaps Jonathan was too close to his own build to have been immediately attractive, but he found himself willing to learn. There'd been too many times when they'd been conversing that Remus had seen flashes from Jonathan that had been attractive. An elegant movement or wicked insult, the way the man stirred his tea, for Merlin's sake -- all instances when Remus' pulse had raced and an instinct decidedly lupine had stirred within his chest.

Remembering that Teddy liked Jonathan as well made Remus climb to his feet and go inside the house. He banged on the door to the loo so hard that Jonathan flung the door open with an angry "What?!", a towel in his hand and face still damp. Even though the full moon was a week away, Remus could smell a heavy musk about the man. Whatever sweat had touched Jonathan's brow was gone, as was the flush to his cheeks, but recalling an image of Jonathan moaning his name made Remus close the distance between them and catch the back of Jonathan's neck with his hand. Before the tutor could protest or Remus could lose his nerve, he drew Jonathan forward and pressed a firm kiss to his lips, carefully nudging and nuzzling until the other man's surprise passed. All at once, Jonathan went from stiff to pliant, closing his eyes, and relaxing enough for Remus to explore.

Moving gently, Remus gave Jonathan's lips tiny flicks with his tongue until the man gave a low groan and opened himself to Remus. With his own eyes closed, Remus finally found himself in full yearning for Jonathan, the dark, deep flavour of him exploding on Remus' tongue like a savoury sweet he'd always known existed, but could never find.

* * *

Remus and Jonathan kissed long enough for Remus to wonder why Jonathan would have cabbage for breakfast before he heard the creak of the kitchen door signaling that Teddy was coming inside. Stepping back with as much speed as he could while still conveying to Jonathan his reluctance to end their liaison, Remus wondered why Teddy hadn't called out, looking for them. A crash from the kitchen made Remus' eyes go wide before he made a dash for the other room.

"Th' berries are bad, da. Why'r you grow'in bad food?" Teddy slurred, looking up at Remus from under the chair he must have tried to use to steady himself. There was blue foam at the corner of his mouth. An altogether different rush of light-headedness and adrenaline coursed through Remus as he flung away the chair and lifted Teddy into his arms. He didn't even ask whether the boy had been in the garden; fear and shame squeezed Remus' chest as he remembered he'd been distracted from re-setting his protections.

"What berries, the ones growing inside the fence? The blue ones?" Remus knew the answer before Teddy managed a weak nod.

"Bezoar, man!" Jonathan had taken in the scene and immediately began rummaging about in Remus' cabinets.

"I- I don't-"

"You grow poisonous plants and don't keep bezoars in supply?!" Remus was stunned to hear such a bellow come out of the usually stoic Jonathan Gray. It reminded him of someone, but Jonathan was speaking, repeating the same question over. "What did he ingest? You must know; tell me!"

"Iverson."

Jonathan paused in his ransacking, appearing to think, while every second passed like an agonizing hour for Remus.

Teddy moaned and that seemed to break the spell over both men. Remus was already moving toward the back door as Jonathan spoke. "Stick a finger down his throat; whatever it takes to force him to vomit."

"No! Don' wanna-" Teddy's protest was interrupted by Remus' large index finger pressing down on the back of his tongue. Remus could see many shreds of blue skin and seeds in Teddy's emission. He should have been giving the boy a snack after lessons, not letting him run about on an empty stomach. Then the berries wouldn't have tempted him. If he had locked the gate-

"Well? Did he eat anything else?" Jonathan shouted from the kitchen. Remus could hear slamming and the clang of pots and pans. He scourgified Teddy's mouth, which Remus knew hurt but he wanted to banish any remaining bits of berry stuck in Teddy's teeth. The boy could only manage a weak gurgle in response.

"No!" Remus cradled Teddy against his chest and darted into the kitchen, finding Jonathan standing before his largest pot full of boiling water and an odd array of ingredients on the counter beside him. "I have to get him to St Mungo's."

"How many did he eat?" Jonathan added a few items to the boiling pot and began cutting a turnip into even sticks.

"Twenty or thirty at least," Remus estimated.

"He'll be dead before anyone competent would see him. Let me work."

Remus stagged back as if Jonathan's words were a physical blow, but somehow he trusted that Jonathan's estimation was true. He hadn't realised that the tutor had any expertise in potions, but his question about the bezoars -- and Remus' agony over being so thick-headed as to overlook stocking such an essential -- made Remus believe that whatever Jonathan was concocting was Teddy's best hope. Remus righted the chair and sat, rocking Teddy and holding a finger to his pulse, praying he wouldn't feel it stop.

"Put a stasis charm on him." Jonathan looked up from the arrowroot he was mashing. "I know you can't use them on humans for long, but it _will_ slow the poison."

Nodding, Remus fumbled for his wand and had to take several deep breaths before he could safely cast the common spell. Jonathan fell silent and began working again at a frantic pace, slicing and chopping, stirring and occasionally chanting at the same time, his wand emitting a fog of white over the potion. Remus knew he didn't have all the ingredients for a proper antidote, so Jonathan was creating one on the fly. If it worked, Remus would consider him a more brilliant brewer than Severus Snape.

In fact, Jonathan was starting to look like Severus around his edges. Remus shook his head and held Teddy closer, trying to stave off the delirium that threatened to consume him. Teddy needed his father to be clear-headed right now, not seeing ghosts. If only Jonathan's fingers didn't appear longer as he charmed his completed potion into a cup, measuring the dose carefully with narrowed black eyes.

"Lift the stasis. This should buy you enough time to reach St Mungo's," Severus -- no, Jonathan! -- said as he stepped close and stooped over Teddy, his long, black hair hiding his face while he slowly dripped his potion into Teddy's throat and massaged it down by using his calloused, stained fingers on Teddy's neck.

Remus didn't know where to look, but he had his wand in a death grip and when Jonathan grunted in pain, his skin rippling, Remus ignored it in favour of the sweet sound of Teddy sputtering with renewed energy. Adjusting his hold on the boy, Remus made sure he could make good use of his wand, and when he stood, the other man straightening so they were eye-to-eye, the wand was trained on the visage of Severus Snape.

"Severus?"

"Yes."

Before anything more could be said, Severus Disapparated to locales unknown and Remus quickly followed, landing in St Mungo's with a _crack_ that broke several of the more rickety chairs in the waiting room.

* * *

Teddy was resting in bed, leaving Remus time to consider what had happened. He had asked Minerva why she had sent him Severus in disguise, but she would only confirm that it was, indeed, Severus Snape who had been tutoring Teddy throughout the summer, and that he would have to get the rest of the story from Severus himself.

Losing his friends on Halloween night all those years ago had been hard, but never had Remus been filled with so many emotions in such a short time. The idea that he could have lost his son through his own stupidity plagued him, and he had made sure to return from the hospital with a basket full of bezoars, remedies and antidotes for a wide array of poisons and irritants.

He had avoided thinking too much about Severus until now, anger and gratefulness still warring for supremacy. There were too many questions running in circles in Remus' thoughts, and as he sat as his desk, parchment and quill before him, one question kept floating to the top.

__

> _Why?_

Remus sent the simple note with Brown, the barn owl Teddy had so literally named on his birthday last year. He couldn't narrow down his questions, and Remus was curious to know Severus' interpretation.

> _You interrupted me before I could take a second dose of Polyjuice. I had no intention of revealing myself.  
>  \-- SS_

Of _course_ Severus had devised a longer-lasting potion. Remus wondered when the masturbating had begun, or if he had stumbled upon the first time Severus lost control, but it didn't really matter. Severus had wanted him. And Remus found that he was much more comfortable with the idea of being attracted to Severus than to "Jonathan Gray." His desires had never been inflamed by the conventional.

> _Good to know. Care to explain why you felt the need to disguise yourself to me in the first place?_

> ___-R_

> _The world believes I am dead and I prefer it continues doing so. If Minerva had not painted you in desperate need of a tutor, I would not have ventured out. As it was, I wished to ~~do her bidding~~ offer my services without revealing my existence._

> _The owl appears tired. Suffice it to say that I will trouble you no further. Enclosed is a jar of bezoars. Keep one in the barn, too, you nincompoop!_

> _\-- SS_

It appeared plain to Remus that Minerva thought Severus had been too isolated, and she used the excuse of Remus needing a tutor to force the man out of hiding. When Remus didn't contact her right away about Severus showing up at his door, Minerva discovered that Severus had been disguising himself, but she couldn't convince him to give up the act. Severus had told Minerva that Teddy was not a complete imbecile and that keeping him from turning into one was worth the prolonged pretense. Remus had experienced a moment of fatherly pride when Minerva had related that tidbit to him.

* * *

Remus held his other questions for Severus, letting Brown rest while he tended an increasingly animated Teddy. Staying in bed while the leaves were turning was hard on a six-year-old, so Remus read to him and played endless games of Exploding Snap. He also made sure Teddy took the medicine that was purging the poison completely from his system and restoring the tissues damaged by the harsh Iverson berries. Harry and several Weasleys, including Bill and Fleur with Victoire, visited, which helped fill the days, and Remus allowed Andromeda to give him the earful he deserved when he left Teddy in her care over the full moon.

He didn't mention Severus' existence to any of them, and Teddy remembered almost nothing from the day he fell ill. The boy asked several times when Mr Gray would be back, as if repeating the question would eventually reward him with a different answer, but Remus told him that Mr Gray had moved on and they would have to find another tutor when Teddy was fully recovered. Still, Remus could tell that Teddy missed his tutor, and the continued absent-minded lengthening of Teddy's nose suddenly made sense. Children could be more in tune with magic than the greatest wizards of all time, and Teddy must have picked up on Severus' main feature even through his altered state.

The last week in which it was recommended that Teddy remain on bed-rest, Harry somehow finagled an old telly to work with an even older game system -- something called "Nentendo" that held Teddy's attention for hours on end as Harry had predicted. Grateful for time to himself, Remus carefully considered what had happened over the summer, and only one conclusion kept coming to mind.

> _You want me. -R_

> _I required a release, nothing more. -- SS_

> _You were close to the end of the lesson, thinking of tea with me, and you had to have one off in the loo. You want me. I ~~wanted~~ want you too, in case you had forgotten. I want to taste you without the cabbage. I want to taste you again, Severus._

> ___Teddy misses you, too. - R_

> _What you want is Jonathan Gray. Do not attempt to seduce me into your bed with your writing and then evoke guilt over the boy. I won't be manipulated! -- SS_

> _I'm not daft, I'm trying to seduce you into our lives, Severus! I can't do casual, not with my son. Does your magnificent mind grasp what I'm saying?_

> ___Come to dinner tonight. - R_

Severus made him wait for two hours before Brown crashed onto the kitchen table with a reply that sent Remus scrambling.

> _Only because this owl is on the brink of collapse and ~~you must be insan~~ there is more to discuss. _

> _\-- SS_

* * *

Teddy could be out of his bed for short periods now, and Remus had showered with Teddy, darting them both in and out of the spray while he concentrated on spelling a wash cloth to reach the places he couldn't while holding his boy. Remus worried that the giggle-fits this caused would wear out the boy too soon, but Teddy was eager to emerge from his room dressed in his best play clothes, the smell of the savoury stew Remus had put on to slow cook causing Teddy to make "mmmm" noises.

A knock at the front entrance made Remus put Teddy down so he could answer it, his son hanging back out of shy curiosity for only a moment when Remus opened the door.

"Mr Gray!" Severus, dressed in black Muggle jeans and jumper, found himself awkwardly clutching at three stone of little boy who had launched himself into his tutor's arms. Remus could only laugh at the scene they made and Severus' obvious surprise at having been seen through so easily.

Whatever barriers Severus had intended to put between them were bashed through by Teddy's animated chatter. Because Teddy was treating Severus as he had the amiable Mr Gray, the former spy couldn't scowl and glower his way through the meal. Sometime over pudding, Remus explained to Teddy that Mr Gray was really his old friend Severus Snape, and that he was thinking of asking Severus to come back as Teddy's tutor. The excited wiggle the boy gave as he said, "Yes, please" was more than Severus could resist. He said he would start again on Monday with a put-upon sigh.

After dinner, Remus insisted that Teddy return to his bed and his telly games; he would see Severus again on Monday. Before he left the room, Remus tapped the bed frame to activate the spell that would alert him if Teddy climbed out of it. He knew he was being overprotective, but after almost losing Teddy, Remus thought he had a right to do some coddling for a while.

Severus was seated in the living room when Remus returned, but Remus just took Severus' hand. Even though Severus flinched at the contact, Remus pulled him up and out of the house. He led them to a wooden bench he had carved when he and his son first moved in that overlooked the expanse of grass on the side of the house that led to a small copse of trees and the brook where Teddy loved to play. Twilight was falling and the air was uncharacteristically warm. Remus couldn't imagine the conversation he wanted to have with Severus taking place where Teddy could hear - at least, not yet. Letting Severus go, Remus sat and looked at the empty space beside him in invitation. Severus joined him, but he crowded himself into the very corner of the seat, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You should have been a Slytherin, Lupin. I will continue to tutor the boy, but let us dispense with the paltry wages. I will accept ingredients to make Wolfsbane in trade instead. It is a far more lucrative use of my time, even when adding the hours spent on lessons." Severus gave Remus a sideways glance. "If you provide enough for five doses, I will even return one to you."

"I thought you were afraid of the curse. Those three days-"

Severus laid his finger on the side of his long, misshapen nose. "Your senses sharpen in the time before the moon. I could not have you scenting the Polyjuice."

This last reassurance broke through Remus' reserve, and he moved across the bench until he was pressed close against Severus' side. The other man did not rage at him or Disapparate, but Severus did appear wary and he kept his arms folded across his middle. Remus studied the man he'd thought long dead, taking in his grey-streaked black hair, somewhat cleaner than Remus remembered, but still fine and slippery looking. His eyes lingered over Severus' angled jaw and the lanky length of his body in complete opposite to Remus'. There was depth and distrust and hope in the glint of Severus' black eyes, a life to them that had always been lacking when Severus was disguised. What Remus saw was everything he wished Jonathan could be, and it was Severus Snape, of all people, before him. Remus grinned and Severus appeared even more unnerved.

"I want you, Severus. Now."

His words startled Severus into sitting up. "You bloody well-"

Remus didn't think it was worth waiting for Severus to finish protesting. He hauled Severus up to stand with him so Remus could dart a hand into Severus' hair and pull him down ( _down!_ ) into a kiss. There was no hesitation this time as Remus brought his other hand up as well and held Severus' head for a thorough, open-mouthed plundering. The flavour Remus had been craving was there again, and he coated his tongue with the rich taste of Severus, who had to hold on to Remus' shoulders just to keep his balance during Remus' deep kisses.

Soon enough, Remus had pulled away their jumpers and shirts, Severus apparently drugged by the warm haze Remus was weaving around them with touch and small "humms" of approval as another inch of skin was exposed. There was a tremble of doubt as Remus pulled a few inches away to look at him, fingers following a sparse patch of black hair from Severus' flat navel to the edge of his jeans. Remus found Severus' doubts endearing, and he wished to wipe them away for good. Wrapping himself around Severus like a vine, Remus walked them forward until he spun around to let his back rest against the side of the house for support. He began to lick and nip at Severus' neck, which Severus lifted on a moan to allow Remus more access. Severus' pants for air in Remus' ear made Remus frantic for more, and he hooked a leg around Severus, arching his lower body up to increase their contact.

Severus responded by pushing Remus more fully into the wall, their bodies writhing against one another, gasps and quiet whimpers filling the air around them. Remus wanted to slow down, to cherish Severus' body, but their combined passion finally unleashed was too much for either of them to endure for long. Jeans undone and slipping low, Severus crashed into Remus one last time and came with muscles stuttering in strain against the solid weight of Remus' body. The very idea that he could cause Severus ( _alive, so very alive_ ) Snape to fly apart so completely caused Remus to hold Severus close, fist clenching in the small of Severus' back, his hips jerking up into the other man as he chanted his name like a prayer.

Remus didn't let his grip falter as his legs collapsed and they slowly slid to the ground, Severus ending up straddling his lap. Their foreheads touched as they gasped for shared air, and Remus felt another kind of soaring, one in his heart at the idea that this could be the beginning of something very good.

"I want you, Severus."

"What, again?"

He pulled back so he could take in the mischievous sparkle he'd brought to Severus' eyes. Smoothing back sweaty hair from Severus' brow, Remus met the other man's gaze and said with as much sincerity as he could muster, "I want you in our lives. Every three days to start, yes, but I hope some day, it will be every day when you're ready."

Severus looked away, but his appearance held more contemplation than scorn. "There is the matter of my status among the dead. I would prefer-"

"You can't expect Teddy to keep a secret."

Turning back to Remus quickly, Severus brought his own hands tentatively to Remus' temples, his touch light, thumbs caressing in a perhaps unconscious attempt to soothe. "I was _saying_ that I would prefer to let people know slowly, most especially avoiding the _Prophet_ until young Ted can fully understand what is now between us."

A corner of Remus' mouth lifted in a wicked smirk. "And what is between now, Mr Gray?"

Severus sat back on his heels and attempted a haughty stare that didn't fully work with a wet spot on his pants and his jeans stretched over Remus' knees. Haughty, no; dead sexy and sending a rush of affection through Remus, yes. "Wipe that mawkish look look off your face, wolf! I am Ted's tutor for the moment."

Rising with a loud pop of his knees, Severus found his wand and went through a dizzying series of spells to cleanse and clothe them both that reminded Remus of why Severus had been considered a powerful wizard in his own right. "What happens after that, glory or disaster, is entirely on your head, Remus."

Before he could speak, the spell on Teddy's bed triggered and Remus ushered Severus inside while he took his son to the loo. Teddy waved heartily at Severus as they passed the living room, and Severus returned his gesture with a nod of his head. As Remus tucked Teddy back into bed, this time to sleep, he barely heard Teddy's whisper. "He saved me, didn't he?"

"Yes, son, he did." Remus pulled back and saw Teddy looking up at him with wide eyes.

"He's the man from the war, too, right? I thought he was dead?"

"I did, too, but everyone was mistaken." Teddy gave a huge yawn then, and Remus ruffled his fingers through the too-long fringe of his now black hair.

"I'm glad." Now Teddy's eyes were drooping lazily even as he struggled against sleep. "Keep him this time, da- da-" With a soft sigh, Teddy fell into slumber.

"Oh, I will," Remus whispered even as a shadow stretched from the door-frame across the covers on Teddy's bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2009 for the Snupin Santa exchange. 
> 
> Prompt: Post DH AU - Remus lives and is a single father. Teddy is reaching the age where he's ready for a tutor, but Remus is still only marginally employed and is largely surviving on his widower's pension from the Aurors. He advertises for a tutor and finds the perfect candidate - who turns out to be a disguised Severus. Smut a plus! ;)
> 
> Happy Christmas, Omni! I hope this satisfies on all levels! Many thanks also to my betas L, A and the letter D!


End file.
